Road warriors for second straight week

The men's soccer season is in full swing and the upcoming games for the Heat have playoff implications. Friday at Fraser Valley the game at Abbotsford Secondary at 4 p.m. Saturday evening in Langley versus TWU scheduled to start at 7:15 p.m.

KELOWNA, B.C – After a gut wrenching loss at the hands of the fourth ranked Thunderbirds in Vancouver that saw the Heat concede a goal in the last seconds of extra time to UBC, stealing them off their one point, head coach Dante Zanatta’s men will be on the road once again this weekend.
The Heat will first travel to play University of Fraser Valley on Friday (Oct. 2) at the Abbotsford Secondary Turf pitch with the game set to begin at 4 p.m. The Heat will thereafter be travelling to play Trinity Western at Rogers Park in Langley on Saturday night (Oct. 3) with the match scheduled to start at 7:15 p.m.

Play-Off Scenario: The men’s soccer team have gotten point out of two games against ranked teams this past weekend (Sept. 25-26) and now stand in 5th position in the group and 2 points shy of 4th place Trinity Western. A clinical performance this weekend will strengthen their bid to make it to the play-offs for the second time in two years.

Players to Watch out for: Jeevin Kang (1 goal and 1 assist this season). This rookie has excelled in the midfield and continues to create opportunities for his forwards. Enzo Paal (1 goal and 1 assist), continues to be a threat and scored his first in the draw this past Friday in Victoria. Brandon McCallum (1 goal this season). This veteran defender found the back of the net for the first time in his career this past weekend. Look for him to continue to push on the offensive end from his fullback position to add depth to the Heat’s offense.

Key Performer: Paal, last season’s outstanding player for the Heat will look to be the source of inspiration for the Heat side after having scored 1 goal and assisting another this season. He will look to emulate his form from last season in order to help his side make it to the playoffs.

University of Fraser Valley –The Cascades will go in to this weekend with three consecutive wins under their belt. Having won both their games against UNBC the past weekend, the Cascades will be a confident lot when they play the team from Kelowna this Friday.

Head to Head : The Heat VS Cascades : When the two sides clashed in the beginning of the new season, Fraser Valley came out on top, beating the host UBC Okanagan 2-1. When the two sides met last season, the Heat ended up on the winning side on both occasions (2-1, 1-0).

Play-off Scenario – The Cascades now have 12 points from their six games played so far. Standing third on the group table, they will be favoured to make it to the play-offs this season.

Key Performer: Senior Defender Colton O’Neill is having a tremendous season from the back. Having scored two goals and assisting another this season, O’Neill’s leadership will be key to how well the Cascades fare this weekend.

Trinity Western University- Last weekend TWU was on a bye, two weeks ago the Spartans ended up on the losing side of both their fixtures at home, (2-1 to UBC and 1-0 to UVic) the side from Langley will attempt to regroup when they play host to UBC Okanagan. With the home crowd in their support, the Spartans will look for a points this weekend.

The Heat Vs The Spartans : Trinity Western emerged victorious on the Heat’s home turf at the start of the 2015 season, beating the home side 1-0.
When the two sides met each other last season, the Heat won the first round 2-1 only for the Spartans to come back and win the second round 2-1.

Play-Off Scenario – Having secured six points in their four games so far, this Spartan side is currently in a position to secure a play-off spot, holding fourth place in the group. However, the other sides in contention aren’t far away and will be quick to capitalize on any mistake made by Trinity Western.

Key Performer : Midfielder Joel Waterman has played a pivotal role for the Spartans to gather their six points this season. His ability to quickly turn defense into attack will hold importance as the side from Langley make a case for their spot in the play-offs.

Goalie Andrew Hicks remains atop Canada West with an .826 save percentage and is second in the conference with a 1.00 goals against average.